Improvement in breech-loaders



Z. R. VON WESSELY.

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anida gaat @sind @titille ZDEUKO RITTER VON WESSELY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR TO PROVIDENCE TOOL COMPANY', OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

.Letters Patent No. 92,673, dated July 13, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LODERS.'

Thechedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part. of`4 thesame.

To all Iwhom it may concern Be it known that I, ZDEUKO RITTER vonWnssnLY, civil engineer, of 48 Pine street, New York city, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates t0 that class of breech-loading fire-arms, in whichthe breech-block is pivoted to move vertically on a 'horizontal axis, ator near the back end of the breech-block.

The object of the first part of my invention isv to dispense with theoutside hammers and side locks heretofore usually employed, and torender the gun self-cooking; and the improvement consists,

First, in a novel method of combining a vibrating breech-block, avibrating hand-lever, and a vibrating hammer, working on the same pivotas the handlever, and moving in a recess in the breech-block, in; suchmanner that both the hand-lever and breech'- block co-operate in cookingthe gun.

' Second, my improvement furtherconsists in a novel method ofconstructing a breech-block with a recess in its under surface, curvedecceutrically to the arc described bythe head of the hammer, and bearingupon said head, so that in the actot opening the'breech the cookingofthe hammer is completed by the-action' of the inclined recess on itshead.

Third, the improvement further consists in a novel methodof combining avibrating breech-block, a vibrating hammer, a vibrating hand-lever,operating both the breech-block and hammer, a main-spring on thehand-lever, and a vibrating sere, which also acts as a trigger, whichholds the hammer at full. cock, while the Vmain-spring is beingcompressed by the xlnmd-lever in closing the breech.

Fourth, my invention further consists in a novel method of combining avibrating breech-block, a reciprocating striker, held within thebreech-block by a.

spring, to prevent accidental explosions in closing the block, and amain-sprin g mounted on a vibrating handlever. By this mode ofconstruction, the `accidental discharge of the arm is effectuailyprevented, for were the trigger pulled while the breech was opened, themain-sprin g would merely lift the breech-block slightly, and then allowit to drop quickly before the hammer could strike the striker.

'lhe object of the next part of my invention is to prevent themain-spring from forcing the hammer out of place when the pin, whichsecures the hammer and hand-lever to the frai'ne, is removed; and theimprovement consists,

Fit'tlnin a novel method of mo'unting'the main-spring on a hand-lever,vibrating on a common centre with a hammer with which it is connected bya tubular pivot,

.through which the pin which secures the hand-lever .the lever, spring,and hammer may be detached from the frame without being separated fromeach other.

The object of the next part of my invention is to enable lthehammer tostrike the striker with force sufficient to ignite the cartridge, andthen quickly to retract the hammer out ofthe way of the striker, inorder that the latter maybe retracted into the breechblock; and theimprovement consists,

Sixth, in a novel method of combining a vibrating breech-block, areciprocating striker and its retractin gspring, with a vibratinghammer, a main-spring, and au adjustable stop on the hand-lever, tolimit the forward movement of the hammer.

The object of the next part of my invention is to prevent accidentalexplosionspby pulling the trigger,

when the breeoli is closedand the gun at full cock', and the improvementconsists,

Seventh, in a novel method of combining` with the trigger ahorizontally-vibrating stop, interposed between the stock and trigger,to prevent the pulling of the latter.

In the accompanyingdrawings I llave-shown all my improvements asembodied inone arm. It is obvious that some parts of my invention mightbe used without the. others, or adapted to arms differing inconstruction from that herein shown.

Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of so much of a gim embracing myimprovements as is necessary to illustrate my invention.

' Figure 2, a vertical longitudinal central section through the same,with the parts in the position they occupy immediately' after firing.

Figure 3, a similar view of the same, with the breech open.

Figure/4, a vertical transverse section through the Igun, in the line ofthe rear end of the barrel, looking toward the front, showing thedetails of the extractor.

.Figure 5, a plan or top view, with the breech-block removed, showingthe sere, hammer, and hand-lever.

Figure 6, a plan of the under -side of the breechblock.

Figure 7, a plan of the underside of the stock, show.- ing thesafety-stop for `the trigger.

Figure 8, a vertical longitudinal section, showing a modification of thestriker or tiring-pin', and the method of retracting the hammer, afterfiring, by the mainspring.

In order to carry outmy invention, I connect the barrel, A, of the gunwith the frame or body, B, in any proper well-known way, and in likemanner con'- neet this body with the stock O.

usual. I am thus enabled readily to insert long cartridges. l

A striker, e', slides endwise in a longitudinal slot' in thebreech-block. l A spiral spring, el, encircling this striker, keeps itwithin the breech-block, when not protruded by the hammer, While a stop,c2, on the striker, prevents it from being retracted too far. f

A hand-lever, Ff'which, in this instance, and by preference, serves atrigger-guard also, is pivoted to the frame B, by a pin, f. The rear endof this guard is held up when required by a spring-catch, f', of theform shown in the drawings.

A hammer, G, is arranged between the jaws ofthe hand-lever, and moves onthe same pivot with it.

The main-spring H is inserted in a groove in the hand-lever,l and heldthere by the lever overlapping its doubled end, as shown in figs. 2 and3.

One leaf of this spring rests on thelever, while the other bears againstthe rear side of the hammer.

` The main-spring' and hammer are thus free to vibrate with thehand-lever.

In order that the spring may not force the hammer out ot' its positionin the lever when the parts are detached, I unite the lever and hammerby a thimble, or collar, g, shown in red in rigs. 2 and 3, and in dottedlines in 5. V The length of this thiinble is equal to the width of thelever,..and.thelever and hammer. both turn freely on it.

The pin f, which unites the lever to the body, passes through thisthimble; consequently, when the pin is removed, the hand-lever, hammer,and springmay be removed without separating them from each other, asthey are held together by the spring.

Arms F, on the lever, take into notches in the under side of' thebreech-block, in order to move it up and down.

The hammer G vibrates between these arms.

A hook, gl, on. the hammer, embraces the under side of the hand-lever F;consequently, as the lever is depressed, the head of the hammer isretracted at the samev time that the breech-block is depressed to openthe breech. y

, As the hammer and the hand-lever move through corresponding arcs atequal distances from the centre, the breech could not be depressed belowthe line of the bore, without moving the lever an inconvenient distance.

To obviate this diiiiculty I form a curved recess, g, in the undersideoi` the breech-block, in which rec-ess the head of the hammer works.The curve of this recess, it will be observed, is eccentric to the pivotof the hammer.

When the lever Fis depressed, the hammer is first acted upon by thelever, and then by the curve ofthe recess, which forces the hammer down,until its notch is caught by a sere, I, oi' an elbow-lever form, pivotedat li, and 'acted upon by a sere-spring, il. The sere terminates in atrigger, t2. y

It will thus be seen that the hammer is held at full cock while thelever F is depressed; consequently the main-spring is not compressed,and its tension on the hammer is diminished.

Ilich the breech is closed, the main-spring is com* pressed to its fulltension, and the gun is fired-by releasing the sere from the hammer.

Should the trigger be pulled when the breechv is open, the spring wouldmerely lift the block slightly,

'and -it would ,drop quickly again without the hammer hammer, far enoughbeyond the plate h to tire the charge, and the resiliexice of the springquickly retracts thehammer after hitting the striker.

The range Iof motion bf the hammer can be varied by' adjusting thevplate It higher or lower.

In order to prevent accidental explosions when the gun is 'cocked andthe breech closed, I pivot'j. wedge, It, under the Stock, so that it maybe interposed between the trigger and stock, and thus lprevent the,vhammerfrom being released .by an accidental pull on the trigger.

The tendency of the main-spring in my gnn is constantly to open thebreech whenever the catch fis released. g

The catch thus not only holds the trigger-guard in place, but also keepsthe breech closed. v

An extractor, L, shown in iigs. 2, 3, and 4, vibrate-s on a pivot, l, toextract the cartridge, and is moved' by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the vibrating breech-block with the vibratinghand-lever and the vibrating hammer, the two latter workingfon a commonpivot, the

Vcombination being and operating substantially as set forth.

` 2. The combination, substantially as set forth, with the hammer, ofthe eccentricallyf recessed vibrating breech-block, which recess causesthc cooking of the hammer to be completed by the opening of the breech.

3. 'lhe combination of the breech-block, hammer, hand-lever,main-spring, and sere, the combination being and operating substantiallyas set forth.

4. The combination of the sliding striker, recoilspring, recessedbreech-block, vibrating hammer, mainspring, and hand-lever, thecombination being and operating substantially as set forth.

5. The combination ofthe hand-lever, main-spring,

and hammer, with the collar gand solid pin f, as set' forth.

6. The combination of the breech-block, striker, and recoil-spring, withthe hammer, themain-spring, and its adjustable stop h, as set forth. p

7. lhe combination of'the triggery with the stopwedge, operating as setforth, to prevent accidental explosions.' l

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ZDEUKO RITTER VON WESSELY.

NVitnesses:

HENRY BALDWIN, Jr., WM. B. DAYTON.

